Over 500K Cubans in US may be deported as Trump targets protections

For nearly 60 years, Cuban migrants received special privileges to immigrate to the United States as they fled political persecution

Now they're in jeopardy, with the Trump administration targeting them as mass deportation efforts continue

Since 1966, Cubans were allowed in the U.S. for permanent residency far quicker than most other nationalities

free from quotas and other mandates, such as proving family or work-related reasons to immigrate under the Cuban Adjustment Act

Ever since, Cubans fleeing the communist nation have been given fast-track status throughout Republican and Democratic administrations

Many Republicans are urging President Trump to keep protections for Cubans, cautioning against sending them back to the communist island where they may face deadly consequences

while blaming the Biden administration for the immigration problem. Cubans are a key voting bloc for Republicans, fueling President Trump to victory in Florida three times and helping propel him to the White House in 2016 and 2024

Immigration groups warn President Trump's end to immigration protections potentially puts hundreds of thousands of Cuban immigrants in the U.S. at risk of deportation

Many Cubans who came under older programs remain safe, but more than 110,000 who came under a temporary humanitarian parole program and hundreds of thousands more under release and recognize may be expelled from the U.S

Advocacy groups report more than 500,000 Cubans face deportation. While the Cuban Adjustment Act remains intact, its protections have changed over the years

The Wet Foot-Dry Foot Policy of 1996 awarded any Cuban who reached U.S. soil protected status

President Obama abolished the policy in 2017, allowing only Cubans who were authorized to enter the U.S

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